1. Are We Losing Them? By Andrew Yarborough

2. Polar Bear Facts Polar bears weigh 500 to 2000 pounds. They are 8 to 11.5 feet long. They have black skin and clear hollow hair that looks white. Their outer layer of hair repels water, and they have a thick under-fur. They have a thick layer of blubber.

3. More Polar Bear Facts Polar bears can swim up to 60 miles without resting. Their paws are like big paddles that help them swim. Short claws help them walk on snow and ice.

4. Hunting Habits Seals are polar bears’ main food source. They stalk the seals for many miles. Polar bears grab the prey as it pops up for air from holes in the ice. Sometimes they attack the seals in their snow caves after they have their pups.

5. Habitats Polar bears depend on yearly formation of arctic ice for hunting. They also depend on arctic sea ice for breeding. Sometimes they need the arctic sea ice for making dens.

6. Harming the Polar Bear’s Home Polar bears are a Threatened Species in the U.S. Global warming is affecting the arctic where the polar bears live by melting the ice.

7. How Can We Help? We need to continue to watch the polar bear population. We need to reduce our carbon footprints. We need to reduce pollution. We need to save energy by : Turning off lights and other electronics Recycling Walk or ride a bicycle instead of driving Use electric cars instead of gas.

8. Sources Vital Ground www.vitalground.org Polar Bear International www.polarbearsinternational.org/polar-bears/will-polar- bears-survive www.polarbearsinternational.org/polar-bears/will-polar- bears-survive Images from: www.humanevents.com www.animals.nationalgeographic.com www.electrictreehouse.com www.bearlife.org www.bite-dose.com